October 08, 2022
Just before 5 p.m. on Sunday, people in Philadelphia can look into the sky and see an orange, glowing full moon.
At 4:54 p.m., the full moon will reach its full illumination, and shortly after sunset, the "Hunter's moon" will reach a peak nighttime shadowy glow.
Starting on Saturday, you will be able to see the moon begin positioning itself in the sky, although the peak and illusion of the more giant orange moon will be more prevalent on Sunday evening.
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, as the moon drifts through the sky while the sun begins to set, it may appear more giant and more orange than usual. However, its size is a trick on the eyes.
The Farmer's Almanac said, "when the moon is high overhead, it is dwarfed by the vast hemisphere of the heavens and appears to our eyes as a small disk in the sky. By contrast, when the moon is low, it is viewed in relation to earthly objects, such as chimneys or trees, whose size and shape provide scale. Your brain compares the size of the moon to the trees, buildings, or other reference points. Suddenly, the moon looks massive."
The moon is given the name "Hunter's moon" because it was historically known to signal to farmers the cold winter season was on the way, according to the Farmer's Almanac. This is the first full moon after the autumn equinox, which makes it the "Hunter's moon" by default. The moon is alternatively referred to as the 'Sanguine' or 'Blood moon.'
The Almanac refers to monthly full moons using Native American and Indian names and European folklore.
Alternative moon names for October coincide with nature during the month. For example, the 'Drying Rice' moon coincides with rice preparation for the winter after the harvest; the 'Falling Leaves moon' signifies the seasonal change from summer to autumn. The 'Freezing moon' is related to the increasingly cold temperatures, and the 'Migratiaing moon' refers to the birds flying south during the winter migration.
In April, a 'pink moon' was visible at 2:55 p.m. The moon got its name because of a blossoming pink wildflower, Phlox subulata.
In May, the 'blood moon' during a solar eclipse, where the moon was a red color. The blood moon is named for the view it creates from its color.
In June, a crescent moon and five planets were aligned and visible to the naked eye. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were visible using the moon, which was positioned between Venus and Mars, to find them in the sky.
In July, a supermoon appeared in the sky. The full moon appeared 14% larger and 30% brighter than a typical full moon.
